Dr. Kefarkian:European men: "Americans are so stupid, and here's why ... blah, blah, blah ..." After the machismo, braggadocio and drinking, when they go on and on about how their country is so much better than America, they eventually pass out, drunk on their own superiority.

European women: "Please take me with you."

My experience is the exact mirror of that in the States. Since I successfully snapped up an American girl and brought her back to England, I think I win.

The article fails to mentioning bicycling. Bicycling is an acceptable form of transportation over there, and bicycles outnumber cars in some places. Over here, we take pride in being fat and lazy. We can't sneeze without hopping in a car first and yelling at cyclists for slowing us down.

fusillade762:That and most countries require that you speak the language. So that only leaves the UK for most Americans.

If you have a retirement income of ~$1000/mo or better nearly a dozen Central and South American countries from Mexico to Chile will welcome you with open arms...and they don't give a shiat if you speak Spanish.

BgJonson79:Why is it meaningless? If a sovereign is head-of-state, what IS the correct term to use for someone who's from that country?

Generally it's citizen, given the consitutional nature of the European monarchies. The monarchy of the United Kingdom, for example, has almost no subjects (a few very old people in the colonies still have that status.)

FarkinNortherner:BgJonson79: Why is it meaningless? If a sovereign is head-of-state, what IS the correct term to use for someone who's from that country?

Generally it's citizen, given the consitutional nature of the European monarchies. The monarchy of the United Kingdom, for example, has almost no subjects (a few very old people in the colonies still have that status.)

You know, I have to say I find this thread sickeningly hilarious. So many people who are like "I HATE AMERICA, I'M MOVING!", and yet, they never do. When called on it, they're like "I MEAN IT! I'LL MOVE!" as if this is some sort of threat.

Like Europe better? Fine, go live in Europe. We don't want you. We don't want people that aren't willing to help us fix the shiat we're in, and we REALLY don't want people that don't get that America isn't Europe, and isn't supposed to be Europe, and so not everyone here wants America to adopt all the policies and attitudes of Europeans.

We LIKE our food, our guns, our cars, our space, and our way of life. Be condescending about that all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that we really don't want that to change.

There're a lot of great things we can, and SHOULD, be doing to bring back manufacturing and better health care and all that. But make no mistake, America is not Europe, or Canada, and shouldn't be.

Kit Fister:You know, I have to say I find this thread sickeningly hilarious. So many people who are like "I HATE AMERICA, I'M MOVING!", and yet, they never do. When called on it, they're like "I MEAN IT! I'LL MOVE!" as if this is some sort of threat.

I did a quick search, and you are the only person in the thread to use the words "hate america", and you've done it twice.

noitsnot:Kit Fister: You know, I have to say I find this thread sickeningly hilarious. So many people who are like "I HATE AMERICA, I'M MOVING!", and yet, they never do. When called on it, they're like "I MEAN IT! I'LL MOVE!" as if this is some sort of threat.

I did a quick search, and you are the only person in the thread to use the words "hate america", and you've done it twice.

OK, one guy said "a lot to hate, a lot to love". I think that's a wash.

It's still the case that you're getting in a lather and putting words into other people's mouths. Mostly people have just been saying how much they enjoyed visiting European countries.

Psycat:Good that they have at least one 'official' language/dialect. I remember reading that 30s Hollywood actress Anna May Wong visited China once on a famous tour and actually needed a translator because she spoke a different dialect. Just out of curiosity, does two terms of college Mandarin give you the confidence to walk around in China and converse with the locals without having to resort to English? I'm planning a trip to Germany in a couple of weeks and I think my high-school German is woefully inadequate...

Pft hell no. Admittedly I've probably forgotten most of it (and I'm kind of ashamed about it) but after my last term I could read and write five hundred characters or so. My pronunciation was still shiat because I wasn't even trying to do the tones associated with the words. In Mandarin if you change the tone of voice you say a word, you change the entire meaning of the word. 'Ma' can mean horse, scold, or indeed, question mark. You speak punctuation in Mandarin.

Two terms of Mandarin was just enough to watch movies with Mandarin subtitles and realize the subtitles had nothing to do with the movie.

Kit Fister:I have used those words because everyone else is all about moving but won't come out and say they just hate their country.

Having a preference for temporary or permanent residence elsewhere is not even close to hating one's own country. Does the person who moves to New York, because it furthers his or her career or because he or she prefers to live in the big city, hate Idaho (or wherever)?

FarkinNortherner:Kit Fister: I have used those words because everyone else is all about moving but won't come out and say they just hate their country.

Having a preference for temporary or permanent residence elsewhere is not even close to hating one's own country. Does the person who moves to New York, because it furthers his or her career or because he or she prefers to live in the big city, hate Idaho (or wherever)?

Could it be considered a cop-out to not stay and make things "better?"

FarkinNortherner:Kit Fister: I have used those words because everyone else is all about moving but won't come out and say they just hate their country.

Having a preference for temporary or permanent residence elsewhere is not even close to hating one's own country. Does the person who moves to New York, because it furthers his or her career or because he or she prefers to live in the big city, hate Idaho (or wherever)?

I'd guess if you didn't hate where you were at, you wouldn't move. Most people don't move to somewhere they prefer when they love where they are.

Which, interestingly, is what a lot of guys from Europe put on their list of things to do while on vacation in the States... Find a gun shop with a range that will let you shoot a variety of guns.

It's fun, I agree. It's not anything to sink thousands of dollars into, for things that you rarely ever use. Same reason people buy boats, and then after a couple years go "What was I thinking?" and sell them.

Which, interestingly, is what a lot of guys from Europe put on their list of things to do while on vacation in the States... Find a gun shop with a range that will let you shoot a variety of guns.

It's fun, I agree. It's not anything to sink thousands of dollars into, for things that you rarely ever use. Same reason people buy boats, and then after a couple years go "What was I thinking?" and sell them.

Or, you know, they're like me and get into shooting competitions, hunting, and other activities and firearms are well used.

1. I have healthcare so, meh. I guess others could use it but it's up to the government to stop being idiots to decide what happens there.2. I get plenty of good cheese around here. And the local (Tillamook) is pretty tasty.3. Public transport here is decent. I drive to/from work everyday though as due to my position I often stay late at work or show up at odd times. So public transit is irrelevant to my life.4. Don't care.5. Take care of yourself and you'll like live longer.6. First, many American's don't care about soccer so this stat is just silly. Second, there are around 733 million people in Europe so 150 million viewers equates to about 20% of the population. 106 million viewers equates to (according to at least one report) over 46% of US households at least tuned in to the Superbowl. Pretty obvious which sport most Americans care about.7. I get 5 weeks paid vacation a year as well as holidays.8. Dumb. There's a lot of chocolate in the US that is NOT made by Hershey.9. I'll give you this one, American obsession with this crap is ridiculous.10. I've used both systems of measurement, not that hard to learn...11. Lots of people around the globe have accents. Some sound great, others sound lame. So what again?12. I see plenty of "fuel efficient" cars around here and I've heard way more bad talking of SUVs than the other way around.13. Yes, America has dumb puritanical crud that we still have to deal with.14. Car races don't excite me, who cares?15. Castles? Really? Give me a break. Sure they can be neat but am I to believe that all Europeans spend their time in castles or in pursuit of having one?16. XL sweatpants would look funny on me as they are way too big. However, so what if I want to go buy Fruit Loops at 3am? I relax when I need though and hurry when I have to. Another dumb point.

Having been to Europe, Eastern Europe, South America, Asia, Mexico, Canada, and a few places in the South Pacific, everywhere has some neat stuff to see. Each place has it's unique cultural aspects and pros and cons. If you love Europe so much then move to Europe, why would anyone care? Seems like a lot of work to convince other people that the author wants to be European. Good luck though, by the look of it the author doesn't have any marketable skills that they need so I doubt they're just going to open up the doors.

Kit Fister:You know, I have to say I find this thread sickeningly hilarious. So many people who are like "I HATE AMERICA, I'M MOVING!", and yet, they never do. When called on it, they're like "I MEAN IT! I'LL MOVE!" as if this is some sort of threat.

Like Europe better? Fine, go live in Europe. We don't want you. We don't want people that aren't willing to help us fix the shiat we're in, and we REALLY don't want people that don't get that America isn't Europe, and isn't supposed to be Europe, and so not everyone here wants America to adopt all the policies and attitudes of Europeans.

We LIKE our food, our guns, our cars, our space, and our way of life. Be condescending about that all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that we really don't want that to change.

There're a lot of great things we can, and SHOULD, be doing to bring back manufacturing and better health care and all that. But make no mistake, America is not Europe, or Canada, and shouldn't be.

You don't speak for Americans, in general or to any other extent. You speak solely for yourself, despite your apparent belief to the contrary.

The_Original_Roxtar:demaL-demaL-yeH: The_Original_Roxtar: Janusdog: I'm a pro-gun liberal but I see no reason to have anything but a shotgun. Point in the general direction and pull the trigger, and you'll probably hit it a little bit.

you know nothing about spread patterns.if you're using small enough shot to "hit a little bit" while pointing int he "general direction", you're not going to do anything lethal to your target.contrary to popular belief, you do need to aim with a shotgun.

This. So very much this.

as for the benefit of shotgun vs pistol in a defensive situation, I can have 6 rounds with my 12 gauge or 12 rounds with my .40the .40 is easier to get on target in close quarters.

Good on you, mate. It's the opposite of my experience, but good on you. (Are you using a goose or turkey barrel?)/On the other hand, one round of double-ought has the same impact as four simultaneous rounds of .45ACP.

I have an 18" open "defender" barrel that I keep on the shotgun... it's loaded with 2 3/4" "multi-defense" shells. a .65 round ball followed by 6 #1 buckshot. what it comes down to for me is immediacy of the situation. if I have the time to get into a proper defensive position, I'll be leading with the shotgun and have the pistol as a backup (alarm goes off in the middle of the night). if I don't have time, I'm leading with the pistol because it's faster (bedroom door kicked in, no alarm).

think about this situation: you're lying in bed, which weapon can you bring to bear faster?

amoral:The_Original_Roxtar: demaL-demaL-yeH: The_Original_Roxtar: Janusdog: I'm a pro-gun liberal but I see no reason to have anything but a shotgun. Point in the general direction and pull the trigger, and you'll probably hit it a little bit.

you know nothing about spread patterns.if you're using small enough shot to "hit a little bit" while pointing int he "general direction", you're not going to do anything lethal to your target.contrary to popular belief, you do need to aim with a shotgun.

This. So very much this.

as for the benefit of shotgun vs pistol in a defensive situation, I can have 6 rounds with my 12 gauge or 12 rounds with my .40the .40 is easier to get on target in close quarters.

Good on you, mate. It's the opposite of my experience, but good on you. (Are you using a goose or turkey barrel?)/On the other hand, one round of double-ought has the same impact as four simultaneous rounds of .45ACP.

I have an 18" open "defender" barrel that I keep on the shotgun... it's loaded with 2 3/4" "multi-defense" shells. a .65 round ball followed by 6 #1 buckshot. what it comes down to for me is immediacy of the situation. if I have the time to get into a proper defensive position, I'll be leading with the shotgun and have the pistol as a backup (alarm goes off in the middle of the night). if I don't have time, I'm leading with the pistol because it's faster (bedroom door kicked in, no alarm).

think about this situation: you're lying in bed, which weapon can you bring to bear faster?

Were you actively masturbating while you typed that?

It's such a ludicrous fantasy scenario. If you really wanted to make your house safer from invasion, you would set up multiple layers of fortification, with surveillance and alarms in the outer forts, and an escape route from the inner fort.

So, a two story house with a locked door to the upstairs, and a locked bedroom door, and alarm systems to detect intruders in the lower level and wake you up, and IR video to observe them. A trap door into the attic and out onto the roof, and rope ladders to get down. And sure, weapons of you want them. And call the cops while you're at it. And a PA system to order them out of the house. Etc.

But the idea that keeping a loaded pistol in the nightstand is great home defense? And you're gonna just pop up out of a deep sleep, identify a threat and shoot it? Sounds stupid to me. Have fun patching the holes in your walls when your kids play with the guns while you aren't home.

noitsnot:It's such a ludicrous fantasy scenario. If you really wanted to make your house safer from invasion, you would set up multiple layers of fortification, with surveillance and alarms in the outer forts, and an escape route from the inner fort.

My biggest concern with that (outwardly pretty smart) plan is that by far the best situation in a fire is to have protected stairs easily accessible from every bedroom and leading straight to the front door. I suppose a separate route of egress would be feasible, but would tend to use a lot of floor area in your home. Otherwise I agree, successfully arming yourself, and responding, in the few seconds it takes to get from the front door to the bedroom, starting from sleep, has always seemed implausible to me.

My serious response, knowing at least a dozen people who've done it in Switzerland, Germany, and the UK, is that gaining permanent residency is a multiple year, multiple thousand currency unit, headache. Move to Europe temporarily if you can get a Tier 2 (or equivalent). Try to move permanently only if you really really mean it. Moving to Wherethefark North Dakota for the space, NYC for the urban excitement and/or the money, Seattle for the rain, or wherever else is better suited to your desires than wherever you are now is, for most people, a much better plan.

noitsnot:FarkinNortherner: Schrodinger's Basement Cat: I'm not willing to get married to a UK citizen just to have status that allows me to live there.

I speak for my entire nation when I say: Phew

:P

I noticed several shaggable specimens the few times I have visited.

My former boyfriend lives in the UK. The only reason he's "former" is because we couldn't arrange it so that we lived in the same place. We might have gotten married eventually if we could have spent enough time together to make sure we were really suited for each other. I suppose we could have decided just roll the dice and just get married, but neither of us thought that would be a good idea. We both see marriage as kind of a big deal.

Having said that, I've always wanted to spend some time living in the UK. It's not because I don't like the US. I would enjoy becoming accustomed to the culture and spending time getting to know the country in a way that is more meaningful than I would as a mere tourist. Also, when I say I'd like to live in the UK I don't mean London.

I lived in Germany for many years as a military spouse and enjoyed it a great deal.

Yea, unfortunately the wife had to tag along the last time. It did make for fun times as she earnestly tried to get the natives to explain the differences between "bottom", "fanny" and "bum" in the local parlance.

She gets kind of a Temperance Brennan thing going when she's trying to figure something out, and doesn't notice the red faces...

We're waiting for things in the US to get as dismal as Europe.Tell your boss he can cut three months of your pay in exchange for one month paid vacation, see what he says.Tell Obama you'll give him 5 months pay a year for free healthcare, see what he says.Ask a Swedish family how the hell they are living on $29K a year in a country where milk is $6 a gallon, see what he says.

menschenfresser:Kit Fister: You know, I have to say I find this thread sickeningly hilarious. So many people who are like "I HATE AMERICA, I'M MOVING!", and yet, they never do. When called on it, they're like "I MEAN IT! I'LL MOVE!" as if this is some sort of threat.

Like Europe better? Fine, go live in Europe. We don't want you. We don't want people that aren't willing to help us fix the shiat we're in, and we REALLY don't want people that don't get that America isn't Europe, and isn't supposed to be Europe, and so not everyone here wants America to adopt all the policies and attitudes of Europeans.

We LIKE our food, our guns, our cars, our space, and our way of life. Be condescending about that all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that we really don't want that to change.

There're a lot of great things we can, and SHOULD, be doing to bring back manufacturing and better health care and all that. But make no mistake, America is not Europe, or Canada, and shouldn't be.

You don't speak for Americans, in general or to any other extent. You speak solely for yourself, despite your apparent belief to the contrary.

Actually, I speak for the vast majority of Americans I shared this link with, despite your desperate desire otherwise.

Yea, unfortunately the wife had to tag along the last time. It did make for fun times as she earnestly tried to get the natives to explain the differences between "bottom", "fanny" and "bum" in the local parlance.

She gets kind of a Temperance Brennan thing going when she's trying to figure something out, and doesn't notice the red faces...